Improvement in regulators for ti me-pieces



G. P. REED.

Regulator for Time Pieces. No. 3,498. Reissued, June 8, 1869.

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' UNITED STATES PATENT OFEIoE.

GEORGE P. REED, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN REGULATORS FOR TIME-PIECES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 61,867, dated February5, 1867; Reissue No. 3,498, dated June 8, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. REED, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have made an invention of a new anduseful means of effecting the adjustment of regulators of timepieces,which I term a Micrometer, and do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description thereof, due ref erence being had tothe accompanying drawing, making part of this specification, and whichis a plan of my invention.

The invention comprising the subjectmatter of these Letters Patentrelates to means for effecting, in an expeditious, even, and positivemanner, the regulation of awatch or timepiece, as now generally adopted.

The characteristic feature of my invention will be found to consist inthe adoption of a spring, applied in a suitable position to act upon oneside of the index lever or pointer of an ordinary watch-regulator, toforce it in one direction, and against a suitable device or meansapplied to or in conjunction with its opposite side, to force such leverin a contrary direction, and against the power of the spring, thearrangement and action of such parts being as hereinafter referred toand explained.

In the drawing accompanying this specification, and which illustrates myinvention, a denotes the index-lever usually applied to the hair-springof a watch-regulator, I) being its supporting-plate, which, in mostinstances, has an arc of divisions engraved upon it, though, in general,such scale is seldom referred to. 1

To the upper part of the supporting-plate b, and contiguous to one sideof the longer'arm of the lever to, a piece of metal, 0, is secured, suchpiece of metal, in practice, being of about equal thickness with that ofthe lever.

In prolongation of the piece of metal 0, a spring, (I, is extended andcurved about the free extremity of the longer arm of the lever, and soas to bear with considerable pressure against the opposite side thereof,the maincondition necessary to be preserved in the arrangement of suchpart being to secure an area inclosed by the spring of sufficient sizeto allow of extreme vibrations of the index- ]ever therein.

For effecting the movements of the indexlever in opposition to the forceexerted by the spring, I have shown a screw screwed through the piece ofmetal 0, and against the free end of such lever, and upon its sideopposite to that impinged upon by the spring (I.

The intelligent reader will be enabled by the above description, andwith the aid of the accompanying drawing, to understand at once that thespring and screw operate upon opposite sides of the indexlever, one toimpel it in one direction, and the other in the contrary direction,since, as the screw, while being advanced, advances also the lever andovercomes the power of the spring, so, also, a retraction of the screwpermits the power of such spring to efiect a sympathetic and positiveretraction or reverse movement of the lever, while it is at all times,and under all conditions, held firmly in position.

The above described invention enables a watch regulator to be adjustedwith great rapidity, and with a degree of exactness not possible by theaction of the hand alone without mechanical appliances, except byrepeated trials.

One important function of the spring d, which might not be readilyapparent except to skilled mechanics, will be found to consist in thefact that it prevents looseness or backlash, so called, of the threadsor bearings of the screw, or of its equivalent device.

Having thus described the nature and operationof my invention, as wellas its advantages, what I believe to be novel and original with myself,and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is asfollows:

The adoption of a spring suitably applied to one side of theindex-pointer of an ordinary watch or time-piece regulator, incombination with an adjusting-screw, or equivalent device, applied tothe opposite side thereof, against which it is forced by the action ofthe spring, and which impels the lever in one direction against thepower of the spring exerted to force it in a reverse direction,substantially as described.

GEO; P. REED.

Witnesses:

FRANK FULLER, A. R. BOYNTON.

